above. The intereft on the faid fum at the rate of five per cent. to run from the date of the treaty of peace; the payment of it fhall be made at the time of each of the partial reimbursements of the capital, and fhall diminish in proportion in the reimbursements; the congrefs are nevertheless at liberty to free themselves from this obligation fooner, by anticipating payments, in cafe the state of their finances fhould permit. Art. V. Although the loan of 5,000,000 of the Dutch florins, granted by the States General of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, on the terms of the obliga tion paffed on the 5th of November, 1781, has been made in his majesty's name, and he has pledged himfelf for the payment of it; it is nevertheless acknowledged by thefe prefents, that the faid loan has been made in reality on account of, and for the service of the United States of North America; and that the capital amounting, according to a moderate valuation, to the fum of 10,000,000 livres Tournois, has been paid to the United States, agreeable to receipt given for the payment of the faid fum by the underfigned minifter of congrefs, on the 7th of last June. Art. VI. By the faid convention of the 5th of November, 1781, it has pleafed the king to promife and to engage himself to furnish and to pay to the general office of the States General of the Netherlands the capital of the faid loan, together with the intereft of five per cent. without any charge or deduction whatfoever to the lenders, fo that the faid capital be entirely reimbursed within the space of five years, the payments to be made at ten equal periods, the first to be gin the fixth year after the date of the loan, and from that time, during every year till the final payment of the faid fum; but it is likewife acknowledged by the present act, that this engagement has been entered into by the king, on the entreaty of the underwritten ministers of the United States, and upon the promife made by him in the name of the congrefs, and on the part of the Thirteen United States, to reimburfe and pay into the Royal Treasury of his majefty at Paris, the capital, intereft, and expences of the faid loan, agrecable to the conditions and terms, fixed by the convention of the 5th of November 1781. Art. VII. It has been agreed upon and regulated in confequence, that the faid fum of ten millions of livres Tournois, making, at a moderate estimate, five millions of Dutch florins, as above mentioned, fhall be reimburfed and paid into his majesty's Royal Treafury at Paris, with the intereft at five per cent. in ten equal payments of one million each, and at the feveral periods, the firft of which fhall be made on the 5th of November, 1787, and thus from year to year till the final payment of the faid fum of ten millions, the interest dimi. nifhing in proportion with the partial payments of the capital. But from the regard which his majefty bears to the United States, he has been pleafed to take upon himself the expence of the commiffion, and of banking, attending the faid loan, of which expence his majesty makes a prefent to the faid United States; and their underwritten minifter accepts, with thanks, in the name of the congrefs, as an additional proof of his majesty's generosity, and of his friendship for the United States. Art. Art. VIII. With refpect to the interest in the faid loan, as the king had engaged to pay, during the five years preceding the firft reimbursement of the capital, four per cent. on the whole, into the general office of the States General of the Netherlands, annually, from the 5th of November, 1781, agreeable to the convention entered into on that day, the minifter of congrefs acknowledges that, the reimbursements of the faid intereft is due to his majefty from the United States; and he engages, in the name of the faid States, to caufe the payment thereof to be made at the fame rate into the Royal Treafury of his majefty; the intereft of the first year to be paid on the 4th of next November, and fo on annually during to five years preceding the first payment of the capital, fixed on as above, for the 5th of November, 1787. The high contracting parties reciprocally bind themfelves to the faithful obfervance of this contract, the ratifications of which fhall be exchanged within the fpace of nine months from the date hereof, if poffible. In faith of which, we the faid plenipotentiaries of his moft Chriftian majefty, and of the Thir teen United States of North' America, by virtue of our refpective powers, have figned thefe prefents, and have thereto put the feal of our generofity and affection manifested by his moft Chrißian majesty in the above contract, have ratified and confirmed it; and by these prefents we do ratify and confirm the faid contract, and every article and claufe therein. And we do by these pre-' fents authorife our minifter plenipotentiary at the court of Verfailles, to remit our prefent act of ratification, in exchange for the ratification of the faid contract on the part of his moft Chriftian Majefty. In faith of which we have caufed our feal to be affixed hereunto, in prefence of his excellency Elias Bourdimot, prefident, this 22d of January, in the year of grace, 1783, and the 7th of our fovereignty and independence. thorifed their respective minifters plenipotentiary, to fign manual declarations for a fufpention of arms; and being willing to re-eftablifh union and good understanding between the two nations, as neceflary for the benefit of humanity in general, as for that of their respective dominions and fubjects, have named for this purpofe; to wit, on the part of his Britannic majefty, the moft illuftrious and excellent lord George, duke and earl of Manchefter, vifcount Mandeville, baron of Kimbolton, &c. his ambaffador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to his moft Chriftian majefty; and on the part of their high mightineffes the States General, the most excel. lent lords Matthew Leftevenon de Berkenrode, and Gerard Brantfen, refpectively their ambaffador, and ambaflador extraordinary and plenipotentiaries: who, after having duly communicated their full powers in good form, have agreed upon the following preliminary articles. Art. 1. As foon as the preliminaries fhall be figned and ratified, fincere and conftant friendship fall be re-established between his Britannic majefty, his kingdoms, dominions and fubjects, and their high mightinefles the States General of the United Provinces, their dominions and fubjects, of what quality or condition foever they be, without exception, either of places or perfons; fo that the high contracting parties fhall give the greatest attention to the maintaining between themfelves and their faid dominions and fubjects, this reciprocal friend(hip and intercourfe, with out permitting hereafter, on either part, any kind of hoftilities to be committed, either by fea or by land, for any cause, or under any pretence whatfoever: and they fhall carefully avoid, for the future, every thing which might prejudice the union happily re-established, endeavouring, on the contrar, to procure reciprocation for each other, on every occafion, whatever may contribute to their mutual glory, interefts and advantages, without giving any af fiftance or protection, directly or indirectly, to thofe who would do any injury to either of the high contracting parties. There fhall be a general oblivion of every thing which may have been done or com mitted, before or fince the commencement of the war which is just ended. Art. II. With refpect to the ho nours of the flag, and the falute at fea, by the fhips of the republic towards thofe of his Britannic majefty, the fame custom fhall be refpectively followed, as was practifed before the commencement of the war which is just concluded. Art. III. All the prisoners taken on either fide, as well by land as by tea, and the hostages carried awav or given during the war, and to this day, fhall be restored, without rantom, in fix weeks at latest, to be computed from the day of exchange of the ratifications of thefe preliminary articles; each power refpectively difcharging the advances which fhall have been made, for the fubfiftence and maintenance of their prifoners, by the fovereing of the country where they fhall have been detained, according to the receipts, attefted accounts, and other authentic vouchers, which fhall be furniflied on each fide; and foreties fhall be reciprocally given for the payment of the debts which the prifoners may have contracted in the countries where they may have been detained until their entire releafc. And all hips, as well men men of war as merchant fhips, which may have been taken fince the expiration of the terms agreed upon for the ceffation of hoftilities by fea, fhall likewife be reftored, bona fide, with all their crews and cargoes and the execution of this article fhall be proceeded upon immediately after the exchange of the ratifications of this this preliminary treaty. Art. IV. The States General of the United Provinces cede and guaranty, in full right to his Britannic majefty, the town of Negapatnam, with the dependencies thereof; but in confideration of the importance which the States General of the United Provinces annex to the poffeffion of the aforefaid town, the king of Great Britain, as a proof of his good-will towards the faid ftates, promifes, notwithstanding this ceffion, to receive and treat with them for the reftitution of the faid town, in case the states fhould here after have an equivalent to offer to him. Art. V. The king of Great Britain fhall restore to the States General of the United Provinces, Trinquemale, as alfo all the other towns, forts, harbours, and fettlements, which in the courfe of the prefent war, have been conquered, in any part of the world whatever, by the arms of his Britannic majefly, or by thofe of the English East India Company, and of which he might be in poffeffion; the whole in the condition in which they fhall be found. Art. VI. The States General of the United Provinces, promife and engage not to obftruct the naviga tion of the British fubjects in the eastern seas. Art. VII. Whereas differences have arifen between the English African Company, and the Dutch 1783. Weft-India Company, relative to the navigation on the coafts of Africa, as alfo on the fubject of Cape Apollonia; for preventig all caufe of complaint between the fubjects of the two nations upon thofe coafts, it is agreed that commiffaries fhall be named, on each fide to make fuitable arrangements on thefe points. Art. VIII. All the countries and territories which may have been, or which may be conquered in any part of the world whatfoever, by the arms of his Britannic majefty, as well as by thofe of the States General, which are not included in the prefent treaty, neither under the head of ceffions, nor under the head of reftitutions, fhall be restored without difficulty and without requiring any compenfation. Art. IX. As it is neceffary to appoint a certain period for the reftitutions and evacuations to be made, it is agreed that the king of Great Britain fhall caufe Trinque male to be evacuated, as well as all the towns, forts, and territories which have been taken by his arms, and of which he may be in poffeffion, excepting what is ceded to his Britannic majefty by thofe articles, at the fame periods as the reftitutions and evacuations shall be made between Great Britain and France. The States General shail reftore at the fame period the towns and territories which their arms may have taken from the English in the Eaft Indies. In confequence of which, the neceffary orders fhall be fent by each of the high contracting parties, with reciprocal paffports for the fhips which fhall carry them, immediately after the rati fication of thefe preliminary articles. Art. X. His Britannic majefty and their high mightineffes the aforefaid States General, promile to (G) obferve obferve fincerely, and bona fide, all the articles contained and established in this prefent preliminary treaty; and they will not fuffer the fame to. be infringed, directly or indirectly, by their refpective fubjects: and the faid high contracting parties guaranty to each other, generally and reciprocally, all the itipulations of the prefent articles. Art. XI. The ratifications of the prefent preliminary articles, prepared in good and due form, fhall be exchanged in this city of Paris, between the high contracting parties, in the fpace of one month, or foones, if it can be done, to be computed from the day of the fig nature of the prefent articles. In withefs whereof, we the underwritten, their ambafladors and plenipotentiaries, have figned with our hands, in their names, and by virtue of our full powers, the prefent preliminary articles, and have caufed the feals of our arms to be affixed thereto. and Ireland, duke of Brunfwiek and Lunenburg, arch-treasurer and elector of the holy Roman empire, &c. and the moft ferene and most potent prince Lewis the Sixteenth, by the grace of God, moft Chriftian king, being equally defirous to put an end to the war, which for feveral years paft afflicted their refpective dominions, accepted the offer which their majefties the emperor of the Romans, and the Empress of all the Ruffias, made to them, of their interpofitions, and of their mediation: but their Britannic and moft Chriftian majefties, animated with a mutual defire of accelerating the re-establishment of peace, communicated to each other their lau dable intention; which Heaven fo far blefled, that they proceeded to lay the foundations of peace, by figning preliminary articles at Verfailles, the 20th of January in the prefent year. Their faid majesties the king of Great Britain and the moft Chriftian king, thinking it incumbent upon them to give their imperial majefties a fignal proof of gratitude for the generous offer of their mediation, invited them, in concert, to concur in the completion of the great and falutary work of peace, by taking part, as mediators, in the definitive treaty to be concluded between their Britannic and moût Chriftian majefties. Their faid Imperial majesties having readily accepted that invitation, they viz. his majesty the emperor of the have named, as their reprefentatives, Romans, the moft illuftrious and moft excellent lord Florimond, count Mercy-Argenteau, vifcount of Loo, baron of Crichegnée, knight of the Golden Fleece, chamberlain, actual privy counfellor of ftate to his imperial and royal apof tolic majefty, and his ambaffador to his moft Chriftian majesty; and ber majesty the empress of all the Ruffias, |